Software Issues Affecting 6,000 A320-Family Jets Unexpectedly Came to Light

Airbus shares fell sharply this week after a one-two punch of technical problems involving its best-selling A320 family went public. The stock dropped nearly 11% at one point, its steepest single-day slide in years, following reports that exposed both a large-scale software vulnerability and a newly discovered structural quality issue affecting recently built jets.

The turmoil began over the holiday weekend when Airbus confirmed more than 6,000 A320-series aircraft required an urgent software update to address a flight-control computer bug triggered by solar flares. This was a 48-hour turnaround for most aircraft, but roughly 900 older models required hardware modifications before the software could be applied, significantly extending downtime.

By the time the situation went public, Airbus confirmed that the “vast majority” of aircraft were given the green light and fewer than 100 remain grounded. The direct financial impact from the incident is estimated to fall under $250 million, though it remains unclear how costs will be shared between Airbus and Thales, the system’s manufacturer. Airlines, including easyJet, Wizz Air, Delta, American, and Lufthansa, reported minimal cancellations.

But the story took a deeper turn on December 1 when a major publication revealed that Airbus had discovered a separate quality defect involving metal fuselage panels on several dozen A320-family aircraft still in production, forcing the manufacturer to come forward.

"Airbus confirms it has identified a quality issue affecting a limited number of A320 metal panels," it said. "The source of the issue has been identified, contained and all newly produced panels conform to all requirements".

Despite the quick fix, the production issue has slowed deliveries at a time when Airbus is already racing to hit its year-end target of 820 aircraft. The company delivered just 72 jets in November, bringing its 2025 total to 657…well below the pace needed to meet its goal.

The combination of a mass software recall and a structural quality lapse has rattled investor confidence in the A320 program, which is an anchor of Airbus’s commercial business. The stock recovered some ground by market close, but still ended the day in the gutter by nearly 6%.

FMI: www.airbus.com